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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24617533">One Step At A Time</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scotty1609/pseuds/Scotty1609'>Scotty1609</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Accidental Baby Acquisition, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby Lucy Quizel, Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Batfamily Angst (DCU), Domestic Fluff, Domestic Jason Todd, Family Feels, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hot Chocolate, Inaccurate Batfamily Lore, Inaccurate Depiction of Toddlers, Inaccurate Lucy Quinzel Lore, Jason Todd Deserves Better, Jason Todd Feels, Jason Todd Has Issues, Jason Todd is a Good Dad, Jason Todd-centric, Kid Fic, Lucy Quinzel AU, No editing we die like mne, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Protective Jason Todd, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Tim Drake is a good uncle, because comics are effing expensive, but i love the batfam, no editing we die like robins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:01:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,808</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24617533</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scotty1609/pseuds/Scotty1609</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The little girl- and he really needed a name for her- stood on wobbly legs and toddled over to him, her jar of peanut butter completely forgotten in the middle of the kitchen floor. With messy hands, the child grabbed onto Jason’s jeans, rubbing her nose into the dirty denim. “Hey, stop- well, I guess you can’t get much dirtier, can you?”</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>While busting up a drug deal in Gotham, Jason Todd comes across a toddler and decides to take her home and clean her up. This is NOT going to be a permanent thing, though. No matter what Jason wants. Or doesn't want. Not until Tim comes in, at least.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lucy Quinzel &amp; Jason Todd, Tim Drake &amp; Jason Todd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>505</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>One Step At A Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wrote this in 2.5 hours and then didn't edit it so.... yeah.</p>
<p>DISCLAIMER: I've never written anything about Jason Todd. Like. Ever. And my experience with Red Hood in comics is very limited. So IDK what his characterization is like beyond what fanfiction I've read about him... But I just got a plot bunny in my head of what would happen if Jason Todd, the Goshdarn Red Hood, adopted little baby Lucy Quinzel... and so this fic was born.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A few weeks ago, the last time he had spoken to Tim, the teenager had claimed he was turning into Bruce. Jason had decked him across the cheek hard enough to hear it crack.</p>
<p>But now, staring down at the tiny toddler sitting half-naked on his kitchen floor, eating peanut butter out of the jar with her bare hands, Jason knew he was turning into his father.</p>
<p>“Dammit,” he cursed, earning a glance from the toddler on his floor. She cocked her head to the side, peanut butter smeared all over her cheeks, and sent him a frown. “Yeah, you,” Jason huffed at her. “Turnin’ me into a big old softy.” The little girl shook her head, her muddy hair flying around her face. “No? I’m not a softy, then?” With her peanut-buttery fist, the little girl swung at an invisible foe in the air, making a constipated face. When Jason didn’t give her any reaction, she pointed at him and then repeated her previous actions. Jason couldn’t help but chuckle. “S’that what I look like when I’m bustin’ heads?”</p>
<p>Giving a shy, hesitant grin, her top left tooth missing, the little girl nodded the affirmative.</p>
<p>Jason rolled his eyes as he finished cleaning the blood and dirt off the hilt of his pistol. “Ah-huh. Okay, then. Well you look like this,” the man snarked, blowing up his cheeks and crossing his eyes. The little girl smacked her hands to her mouth to try and stifle her giggles. “You’re all happy now, then? Good. ‘S better for little tykes like you to be smilin’.” Jason sighed, standing and putting his pistol back in its touch-pad safe along with its twin. Cracking his neck to the side, the man inhaled deeply. “Alright. Bath-time and then bedtime, kiddo.”</p>
<p>The little girl- and he really needed a name for her- stood on wobbly legs and toddled over to him, her jar of peanut butter completely forgotten in the middle of the kitchen floor. With messy hands, the child grabbed onto Jason’s jeans, rubbing her nose into the dirty denim. “Hey, stop- well, I guess you can’t get much dirtier, can you?”</p>
<p>When Jason found her, the child was dressed in just an old men’s shirt, one that dragged the floor around her feet and hung off her shoulder in moth-bitten clumps. Her hair was so matted and dirty that Jason had thought it was supposed to be that color. It wasn’t until after he knocked out the drug dealers and actually crouched down to her height that he realized her skin wasn’t actually grey and her hair wasn’t actually brown.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>“Well, what’re you doing here, princess?” Jason all but crooned.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The little girl whimpered, pulling further into the ball of which she was sitting in behind a wooden crate full of crack. One of her hands tugged on her hair while the other wrapped around her knees. It made Jason’s heart crack a bit, seeing her rock herself back and forth, trying to console herself. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Hey, I’m not gonna hurt you, kiddo,” Jason reassured her. “I only hurt the bad guys. And you don’t look bad. Or like a guy, for that matter. You <strong>do </strong>look like a dirty little dumpling in a potato sack, though. A cute dumpling, but dirty. Jesus, have you ever even had a bath before? With bubbles and shit- stuff?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Somehow, his rambling seemed to have soothed the little girl, because she uncurled from her ball stance and looked up at him with the clearest, lightest blue eyes Jason had ever seen. She blinked, tilted her head to the side, then blinked again.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Caught your attention, have I, princess?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>When the little girl didn’t move, Jason cleared his throat nervously. “Okay. I’m gonna… I’m gonna pick you up now, okay? I’m gonna get you someplace safe.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p><em>“Someplace safe” </em>ended up not being the police station, because there were as many bad cops as there were good in Gotham, and not the nunnery- because half of the nuns had tried to kill Jason with katanas a few months ago- and of course not the nearest orphanage, because Gotham’s Child Protective Services were utter <em>shit</em>-</p>
<p>So Jason was left with only one place left to go.</p>
<p>His apartment.</p>
<p>After the introductions and “<em>Mi casa e su casa</em>” and shoving the only non-expired food at her he could find, Jason went about taking his helmet off and cleaning his weapons. After finding himself with nothing left to clean- having even polished his unused throwing stars- Jason had to figure out what next to do with the little girl.</p>
<p>First things first, she needed a bath. <em>Badly</em>.</p>
<p>“Okay, bath-time,” Jason said once more to the toddler who was getting peanut butter all over his jeans. Not that they were clean anyways, but still. Reaching down, Jason hefted the child onto his hip and made his way to the bathroom.</p>
<p>It was easy enough to draw some warm water, but Jason didn’t have any bubbles for her. Not that the child seemed to mind. Once Jason set her down next to the tub, she was immediately enraptured with the faucet. Staring wide-eyed, she reached out and poked at the water, giving out a shrieking giggle when it splashed her face.</p>
<p>“Alright, shirt off, kiddo. I’ll get you a fresh one when you’re clean.”</p>
<p>Jason gently lifted the shirt from the toddler’s body, and his blood ran cold.</p>
<p>There were large, blue handprints on the girl’s forearm and bicep. How her tiny arm wasn’t completely shattered under the force it had taken to make those bruises, Jason didn’t know. He clenched his jaw, closing his eyes in an attempt to calm himself down.</p>
<p>
  <em>Don’t freak out, Todd. Don’t freak out. You’ll only freak <strong>her </strong>out, and we don’t wanna deal with a crying child, now do we? Just give her the fucking bath, give her some fresh clothes, and then- And then-</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>We’ll figure out ‘and then’ later.</em>
</p>
<p>With as gentle of a grip as he could muster, Jason lifted the child and set her down in the tub. The toddler immediately took to the water, patting the surface gently and cooing when little droplets splashed out.</p>
<p>“No making a mess, now,” Jason faked sternness. The toddler didn’t fall for it, either.</p>
<p>He didn’t have any no-tears shampoo or bubble bath or anything fancy, but Jason managed to find a clean rag and lather it up with bar soap, cleaning off the little girl’s dirty limbs first. When he got to her injured arm, the little girl whimpered and winced. Jason had to focus on his breathing and push away her reactions for a few moments, lest he take off into the night to find anyone related to the drug dealers he had killed earlier to shoot off their kneecaps.</p>
<p>When he got to cleaning the little girl’s hair, using one large hand to umbrella over her face, Jason found that instead of having brown hair, she actually had white-blonde hair. It was soft, too, like dove feathers.</p>
<p>Jason ended up having to drain and re-fill the tub twice, and by the time he had gotten her completely clean, the little girl was yawning widely, eyes fluttering. “Okay, okay,” Jason chuckled when he got her out of the tub, and she plopped down on her rear end on the cold tile. “I get it, you’re tired. C’mon, let’s get you dry.”</p>
<p>Wrapping the toddler in a towel, Jason lifted her onto his hip- and yeah, she was terribly small, but shouldn’t she weight more?- and took her into his bedroom.</p>
<p>It was a meager room with a mirror and a dresser and a bedside lamp. But it’s real focus was the glorious, memory-foam, queen-sized mattress. Jason all but dumped the little girl onto the soft mattress, biting back a grin when he heard her sleepy giggles, and went to grab a shirt from his dresser. The smallest shirt he had was a hand-me-down from Dick that he’d had since he was Robin, a <em>Metallica</em> t-shirt, but it still ran down to the toddler’s ankles, the short sleeves going down to her wrists. She still looked like she was wearing a potato sack, but at least it was a <em>clean </em>potato sack.</p>
<p>“Don’t fall asleep just yet,” Jason chided as he sat down on the edge of the bed with the towel. “C’mere.” The little girl crawled over the duvet and sat down in front of Jason, allowing him to towel-dry her hair. The man winced at the knots that he hadn’t been able to condition out- he didn’t own a comb or a brush- but the toddler didn’t complain. Which was a concern in of itself, because if a <em>toddler</em> didn’t complain about <em>pain</em>, then didn’t that imply that she was <em>used to it</em>?</p>
<p>Jason cut off that train of thought before it could start. He didn’t need to be on an anger-spree when he was needed at home.</p>
<p>Needed at home.</p>
<p><em>Huh</em>.</p>
<p>That sounded kinda nice.</p>
<p>It might be nice to… have someone to come home to…</p>
<p><em>Jesus Christ, Todd, you can’t fucking <strong>keep</strong> her, </em>he told himself. <em>She’s not a dog. She’s a <strong>kid. </strong>Who needs food and shelter and tender loving care- </em>He fought the tiny voice in the back of his mind that told him “You can offer that!” because <em>no</em>, he really <em>couldn’t</em>.</p>
<p><em>You’re fucked up, Todd. And she’s, what- One? Two?- she deserves a nice family, with a set of parents who’d love her- <strong>But you’d love her</strong>, </em>the voice in the back of his head said. <em>Shut <strong>up</strong>. Jesus fuck, you can’t take care of her like she deserves, Todd. Don’t even think about it. She deserves the best.</em></p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>But don’t you deserve to be loved too, Jason?</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>“Okay, bedtime now, tyke.”</p>
<p>The toddler yawned, crawling back over to the head of the bed. She curled into a little ball on Jason’s pillow, as though she were a kitten. She was small enough to fit the role, at least. Jason covered her up with a blanket, tucking it in around her feet, and whispered, “Sweet dreams, princess.”</p>
<p>When he went back to the bathroom, Jason glared at himself in the mirror, poking a finger at his image’s chest. “Don’t you even fucking think about it, Todd. She’s gonna go to a good home with a parent who’s always around and plenty of food and toys and love. Maybe even a fuckin’ dog or two. So don’t… even… <em>think about it</em>.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…</p>
<p>
  <strong>ONE MONTH LATER</strong>
</p>
<p>…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What do you want to do today, princess?”</p>
<p>Lucy tilted her head to the side, her little pigtails bouncing around her face, and pursed her lips in thought.</p>
<p>“Maybe… <em>go to the park</em>?” Jason teased.</p>
<p>Lucy gasped dramatically, then nodded in a frantic way that made her pigtails fly around and smack Jason in the face where he crouched.</p>
<p>“What about…” Jason pondered aloud, patting his lower lip theatrically, “…go to the park and pet dogs?”</p>
<p>Lucy screeched, nearly knocking Jason over in her attempt to hug him.</p>
<p>“Okay, okay!” Jason chuckled. “Go pick out your outfit and I’ll come help you get dressed, okay?”</p>
<p>Lucy giggled- she always did that, <em>giggling</em>, like as if she was living in any child’s dreamworld, sharing a single bedroom apartment with an ex-gang lord in the dirty outskirts of New York’s most crime-ridden city- and stumbled off to pick her outfit.</p>
<p>Upon day five of Lucy living with Jason, he realized she was going to need some clothes of her own. So, dressing up in his best “I’m a nice guy, not an assassin” outfit, he dressed Lucy in her favorite of his t-shirts- the Superman shirt that Jason had bought to piss off Bruce a few years ago- and walked them to the bus stop to go to the nearest supermarket. He wanted Lucy to have her <em>own </em>clothes, not just hand-me-downs, and he had the money to spend, so why not?</p>
<p>Lucy hadn’t had any sort of excited reaction to any of the kid’s characters- and Jason swore up and down that she’d be a Disney fan by the time she was five if he had anything to say about it- so Jason just grabbed the essentials. Pull-ups, he’d found that Lucy wore about a day in, were already at home. So, he grabbed several t-shirts in different colors, a few pairs of elastic-waisted jeans, a winter jacket with a fluffy collar (because it was almost October and Gotham was already almost freezing), and socks, tennis shoes, a matching red scarf and hat, and- at Lucy’s insistence- a toddler-sized Superman backpack (she was <em>really</em> attached to that t-shirt). They went through the self-checkout because Jason didn’t feel like dealing with anyone’s bullshit on a good day, and then they went out for French fries and milkshakes.</p>
<p>Jason sighed, running a hand through his hair, as he followed Lucy towards the bedroom. It was after the first week that he realized this wasn’t going to be a ‘couple of nights’ and went off to buy a toddler-sized bed. It was simple, a wooden base with yellow sheets and a pink duvet, short enough that she didn’t have to jump to climb on top of it, and it fit in the far corner of the bedroom. Jason had moved his own bed so that it was in between Lucy, the window, and the bedroom door. It would look to anyone else like the toddler was boxed in, but Lucy seemed to enjoy her little ‘fort’. Jason had thrown pillows and a sheet over a stool, hanging the sheet over his bedpost and the stool to create a canopy for Lucy’s bed. The toddler could see her guardian and her Superman nightlight as she fell asleep.</p>
<p>Apparently, he was taking too long, because Lucy poked her head out of the bedroom and let loose a tiny squeak. That was how she spoke- Jason wasn’t about to pry her for answers or get her to talk to him if she didn’t want to. So, Lucy had created clumsy hand-signals and a system of squeaks, chirps, and screeches to communicate with her guardian. It started on night three, when Jason had found Lucy digging through the bottom rung of his bookshelf.</p>
<p>
  <em>“What’cha lookin’ for there, princess?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The toddler- he still didn’t know her name- pulled a small, dog-eared novel off the shelf and turned to blink at Jason.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What? You gonna read that to me?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Frowning at the novel in her hand, the little girl shook it above her head at Jason.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oh, <strong>I </strong>see. You want <strong>me </strong>to read to <strong>you</strong>, huh?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The toddler nodded the affirmative, and Jason sighed. “I guess I can’t say no, huh?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She shook her head.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Okay, tyke, tucker up and we’ll read.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>As it so turned out, the child had pulled out Jason’s old copy of <span class="u">The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe</span>, and was excited by the snow on the cover of the book. When Jason opened it up and started to read, the toddler listened intently. And then, she began shrieking.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It started Jason at first, but then he realized the little girl was excited, not hurt or scared. “What’s up, princess?” The little girl pointed to the book, looking sternly at Jason. “Um… you want me to keep reading?” Frowning, shaking her head, the little girl pointed to the book again. “Um… okaaaay. This would be a lot easier if you could talk.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The girl huffed, smacking the book out of Jason’s hand. “Hey! Stop that, you little brat. I was reading for you!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Jason picked the book back up off the floor, then looked down at the sentence he had just been reading. He had hardly gotten through the first sentence when the little girl started screeching. <strong>“Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and…”</strong></em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Lucy?” Jason inquired, looking to the toddler curiously. “Is that your name? Lucy?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>In answer, the little girl began to clap enthusiastically, giggling as she rocked back and forth.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Okay, then. We’ll call you Lucy.”</em>
</p>
<p><span class="u">The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe</span> had since become Lucy’s favorite book <em>and</em> movie, the little girl getting stars in her eyes when movie-Lucy found the light pole and giggling when she met Mr. Tumnus for the first time.</p>
<p>Lucy huffed, coming out of the bedroom and marching up to Jason. She grabbed his jeans at knee-height, dragging him towards their room. Jason chuckled, leaning down to tickle her belly. Lucy shrieked and ran into the bedroom, Jason short on her heels-</p>
<p>“Jason?... What… What the <em>fuck</em>?”</p>
<p>Lucy let out a startled yelp, and Jason’s body reacted before his brain did. He snatched Lucy up, reaching for the knife in his belt, and flung it at the intruder that appeared in their bedroom. The intruder knocked it away easily, his gauntleted wrist sending the knife flying into the wall behind him instead.</p>
<p>“Jesus fuck, Replacement!” Jason swore when he realized it was Red Robin. “Learn to use a fucking door, or at least <em>knock</em>!”</p>
<p>From behind his domino mask, Tim’s eyes were wide. “Um… is that… a baby?”</p>
<p>“More like a toddler. But yeah, I guess you could call her that.”</p>
<p>Lucy huffed at the word ‘baby’, smacking her hand on Jason’s chest as a signal she wanted to be let down. Jason didn’t move.</p>
<p>“What… what is a toddler doing in your apartment?”</p>
<p>“Better question, what are <em>you</em> doing in my apartment?”</p>
<p>Red Robin’s eyes were still boring into Lucy’s small frame, so Jason maneuvered himself so that the girl was behind him somewhat. The action managed to break Red Robin’s gaze for a moment, and his masked eyes snapped up to look at Jason. “Nobody’s seen the Red Hood in nearly a month.”</p>
<p>“And that’s cause for you to investigate <em>because</em>?”</p>
<p>“Because somebody saw you go into a warehouse, heard shouting and bangs, and then saw you leave in someone else’s car.” <em>Like as if you couldn’t run across rooftops. Like you were injured (or cradling a traumatized toddler). </em>“And then you hadn’t been seen for a month.” Red Robin shrugged. “Alfred worries. I came to look for clues, see if you’d been home, but…”</p>
<p>“You didn’t expect to find me here.”</p>
<p>“Nope.”</p>
<p>“With a kid.”</p>
<p>“Definitely not.”</p>
<p>“Huh… Okay. Sit down, Replacement, sans mask. And get rid of that ridiculous cape while you’re at it- you look like a Raising Cane’s mascot.”</p>
<p>“What about…”</p>
<p>“You really think she’s gonna tell someone your identity? <em>Really</em>?”</p>
<p>Rather than responding, Tim reached up and took off his mask.</p>
<p>“Ah-huh. That’s what I thought.” Jason looked down at Lucy, who was whimpering as she hid her face in his chest. “We’ve gotta get Lil’ Lu dressed, and then we’ll chat.”</p>
<p>Of course, that day, <em>of all days</em>, Lucy chose to wear her Superman t-shirt. Tim, of course, ever the detective, hadn’t missed the Superman backpack by the door or the Superman nightlight, either. He cocked a humored eyebrow. “She’s a fan?”</p>
<p>“I guess,” Jason shrugged. “Maybe she’s from Metropolis.”</p>
<p>“She’s not yours?”</p>
<p>“Fuck no. I always wear a raincoat.”</p>
<p>Tim’s nose wrinkled up. “Gross, Jason.”</p>
<p>“<em>Always</em> use protection, Timbo. Now, why the fuck are you in my apartment? The <em>real</em> reason?”</p>
<p>Tim sighed heavily. “I wasn’t lying when I said Alfred was worried…” Biting his lower lip, Tim’s gaze finally broke from Lucy’s form and turned to Jason. “I need help on a case. Roman Sionis. I figured you’d have some intel Bruce doesn’t have.”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah, because me and Romey are such <em>good pals</em>.”</p>
<p>“You used to run in the same circles,” Tim shrugged. “I figured it was worth a shot. Two birds, one stone. Console Alfred, help me.”</p>
<p>Jason huffed a bit. Of <em>course</em> his little brother wasn’t actually interested in his wellness. He was the runaway child, after all. The leftover. The one Bruce didn’t give two shits about. Well, Jason wouldn’t worry about it, because he had Lucy-</p>
<p><em>Shit</em>, when had he started thinking about Lucy as <em>his</em>?</p>
<p>“Tell you what,” Jason drawled, “I’ll give you all of my info on Sionis if you do something for me.”</p>
<p>“I think I know where this is going.”</p>
<p>“Don’t tell the Bat about Lucy.”</p>
<p>“Jason-“</p>
<p>“<em>Don’t</em> start with me, Tim. She’s not here forever, just until I can find her a good home.”</p>
<p>Tim’s eyes wandered from the toddler’s bed, to the nightlight, then back to Jason’s firm grip on the child herself. “Yeah… <em>sure</em> she’s not.”</p>
<p>“Drake, <em>don’t</em>-“</p>
<p>“You think you’re fit to raise a kid, Jason?”</p>
<p>
  <em>He went there.</em>
</p>
<p>“You think <em>Batman</em> was fit to be a father? Huh? He got two of his kids killed, for fuck’s sake. One of them he outlawed and abandoned, the other he left fatherless for years when he went on a backpacking trip through time. And don’t get me fucking started on the whole <em>child soldier thing</em>, Tim. <em>Child. Fucking. Soldiers.</em>”</p>
<p>“We all <em>asked</em> to be Robins, Jason-“</p>
<p>“He shouldn’t have fucking <em>indulged us, </em>Tim. Especially you and Damian. <em>Especially you</em>. Not after-“ Jason cut himself off, closing his eyes and snapping his jaw shut.</p>
<p>This wasn’t about him. It wasn’t. <em>It wasn’t about him. </em>This was about <em>Lucy</em>. It was <em>all </em>about Lucy. <strong><em>Everything is so Lucy is okay. Everything.</em></strong></p>
<p>After a few beats of silence, Tim said, “I… I think I understand. I don’t <em>approve, </em>but I understand.”</p>
<p>Jason was far-off from saying “thank you”, so he nodded instead.</p>
<p>“But if you endanger her or hurt her, Jason, that’s on <em>you</em>.”</p>
<p>“You don’t fucking say.”</p>
<p>Tim sighed heavily. “And really? Cursing around a- what is she? Two?- two-year-old?”</p>
<p>“She’s almost three, I think,” Jason said. “Her name is Lucy. Lucy…” he looked down at the little girl, who was sucking her thumb with her head resting against his shoulder. “Say ‘hi’ to Tim.”</p>
<p>With her free hand, Lucy waved. Tim gave a shy wave back, then glanced at the pile of children’s clothes on the floor. “Were you doing laundry?”</p>
<p>“Actually, we were getting ready to go out. Lucy likes to pick her own outfits.” Wisely, Tim stayed quiet.</p>
<p>And then, for some reason, whether it be the remnants of manners Alfred had taught him as a child, or because Jason had been lacking adult interaction over the past two weeks, he said: “Wanna come with?”</p>
<p>Pausing, surprised, Tim blinked a bit. Then, he said, “I don’t have any clothes with me.”</p>
<p>“You can borrow mine.”</p>
<p>Another pause.</p>
<p>“…Okay, fine. But if this is some kind of trick-“</p>
<p>“Jesus, Replacement, I’ve got a toddler in my arms. What kinda fucked-up <em>trick</em> would I be playing?”</p>
<p>A wry smile cracked its way onto Tim’s face. “Alright, alright. I get it.” Standing up, Tim reached for Jason’s dresser and said, “I’m taking your leather jacket, by the way.”</p>
<p>“The black one or the grey one?”</p>
<p>“The black one.”</p>
<p>“Fuck you.”</p>
<p>Tim grinned, and Lucy giggled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Given that it was almost Halloween, people had all sorts of decorations up and out. Lucy- dressed in striped winter tights, a floral skirt, fur-hooded coat, and matching scarf and gloves- was sitting on Jason’s shoulders as he walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Tim. She was staring in awe at the bedsheet ghosts and carved pumpkins, bright orange and purple lights blinking in her vision.</p>
<p>Tim, for the better part, had managed to remain nonchalant in public. He was wearing shades and a hat on top of Jason’s leather jacket, because nobody needed to see Timothy Drake-Wayne out on the town with someone who looked suspiciously like a red-headed Jason Todd-Wayne raised from the dead and a random toddler.</p>
<p>“Have you tried to find her family?”</p>
<p>The question stung a bit. “She isn’t really one for talking, Tim.”</p>
<p>“You could bring her by the Cave. We could run a DNA test.”</p>
<p>“It’s not like she’s been crying for a mom or a dad. She’s had nightmares, yeah, but she’s not asking for nobody.”</p>
<p>Tim frowned. “You’d think she’d be more concerned about getting home.”</p>
<p>“Unless home is equivalent to hell. Which, considering where I found her and what state I found her in, wouldn’t be too far off a guess.”</p>
<p>It was chilly out, cold enough for there to be a light layer of ice on the sidewalk. It crunched underneath Jason’s feet, deafening in the silence that ensued between him and Tim.</p>
<p>Tim opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He did the action once more, then screwed up his face in contemplation. Just when Jason thought the asshole was about to make another comment about finding Lucy’s birth parents, Tim said, “Has she had cocoa yet?”</p>
<p>“What?” Jason deadpanned.</p>
<p>“Cocoa. Hot cocoa, to be precise. Has she had any?”</p>
<p>“No…” Jason started slowly, cocking an eyebrow. “Why?”</p>
<p>Tim gestured a little further down the sidewalk where the park- their destination- lay. There was a vendor out, handing piping hot Styrofoam cups of cocoa to kids and their parents who were taking a break from playing on the playground.</p>
<p>“It probably won’t be as good as Alfred’s,” Tim shrugged as he pulled out his wallet. “But it’ll keep her warm.”</p>
<p>“Pump her full of sugar, why don’t you.”</p>
<p>Tim grinned. “At least she’ll sleep good later tonight.”</p>
<p><em>Maybe no nightmares tonight</em>, Jason all but begged upwards. “Sure. Whaddaya say, Luce? You want come cocoa?”</p>
<p>The little girl looked down at her guardian, her tiny button nose scrunched up in confusion. Jason chuckled a bit, bringing the toddler down from his shoulders and setting her on his hip. They approached the vendor, and Tim asked for two plain cocoas. The burly man sent a fond smile Lucy’s way, taking Tim’s money and remarking, “My little girl has curls like hers.” When he returned with their cocoas, he nodded to Jason, “I put a few ice-cubes in yours since I figured you were sharing with your daughter. She’s adorable, by the way.”</p>
<p>Jason’s jaw dropped a bit. Sure, he had taken Lucy out on adventures to get groceries and clothes and food before, but nobody had ever referred to her as his <em>daughter</em>. But… she lived with him. He read her bedtime stories. He bought fucking bubble-bath and a rubber ducky for her. And Lucy… She… She looked up to him, looked up <em>at</em> him, with those big, blue eyes, and it make Jason’s heart lurch because no one had ever looked at him with that kind of unrefined, unconditional <em>love</em> before.</p>
<p>Jason must have taken too long to reply, because Tim piped up, “Thanks! She takes after her mom,” before dragging Jason away towards an unoccupied bench. “Dude, you can’t just phase out like that, what-“</p>
<p>Tim’s words washed over Jason like a warm breeze, in one ear and out the other. He set Lucy on his lap and let her sip at the cup of cocoa, one hand on her back to support her as she wobbled. “Careful, baby, it’s hot,” he spoke softly to her. Lucy’s eyes lit up when she tasted the chocolate, and she giggled happily before going back in for more.</p>
<p>“…Jason? Did you hear any of what I just said?”</p>
<p>“No, Replacement, I didn’t. And I don’t care to. But I figure you’ll give me a recap anyways.”</p>
<p>“You should bring her by the Manor. Bruce is in Italy with Damian for the weekend. We don’t have to run a DNA test-“ Tim interjected before Jason could object, “-but I could fix up some paper for her. Make it official for you. <em>Lucy Todd</em>. Sounds cute, doesn’t it?”</p>
<p>“Lucy Todd…” Jason’s mouth went dry. He pulled the cup of cocoa away from the toddler on his lap, and Lucy’s eyes met his. “Whaddaya say, Luce? You wanna be my little rugrat?”</p>
<p>Lucy seemed to understand the seriousness and sincerity with which Jason was asking her, even if she didn’t completely understand the words. She laid her chubby hands on either of Jason’s cheeks, her lips coming to rest on his nose before she pulled back and made a ‘mwa!’ sound.</p>
<p>Tim chuckled. “I guess that’s a <em>yes</em>, huh?”</p>
<p>Jason didn’t even bite back his beam. “I guess that’s a yes.”</p>
<p>He may be turning into Bruce, but he didn’t have to make the same mistakes his father did. First things first, getting Lucy a name. Then, he’d look into getting a two-bedroom apartment. And then maybe they could finish potty-training and start working on the whole ‘childhood trauma’ and ‘not talking’ issues, and then… and then…</p>
<p>He <em>could</em> do this. He <em>could </em>be a good father. He <em>was </em>a good father. Jason was going to make sure of it. Because Lucy was an angel who deserved the world.</p>
<p>So he was going to give her the world.</p>
<p>One step at a time.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you made it this far then thank you so, so, so much for reading!!! I've been going through a rough patch recently and reading comments and fanfics has helped me escape from a lot of it. So thank you guys so much for everything. :')</p>
<p>Also!! If you have any ideas or plot bunnies you'd like to see me write of Lucy and Jason, please let me know in the comments! I'd love any kind of advice or ideas that any one of you has!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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